Safety device for bombs



Sept. 23. i924. 1,509,337 W. A. BORDEN ET AL SAFETY DEVICE FOR BOMBS Filed June 27, 1922 IN VEN TOR Wm. A.B0rden y CHMIZobens Patented Sept. 23, 1924.

TATE.

WILLIAM A. BORDEN AND CLAUDIUS H. M. ROBERTS. OE UNITED STATES ARMY.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR BOMBS.

Application filed June 27, 1922. Serial No. 571,224.

(FILED UNDER THE Q33 MARCH 3, 1883, 22 STAT. L, 825.)

1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM A. BORDEN, major, Ordnance Department, United States Army, and (Immune H. M. RoBnR'rs, captain, Ordnance Department, United States Army, citizens of the United States, stationed at VJashington, District of Columbia, have invented an Improvement in a Safety Device for Bombs, of which the following is a specification.

The invention described herein may be used by the Government, or any of its oificers or employees in prosecution of work for the Government, or by any other person in the United States, without payment to us of any royalty thereon, in accordance with the act of March 3, 1883.

The subject of this invention is a safety device for bombs and is intended more es pecially for bombs provided with fuses armed by a wind wheel though not limited to such use as it is applicable to bombs provided with fuses armed by other means.

Where a bomb is hung from the bomb carrier or rack of aircraft it is necessary that some safety means be provided to prevent the fuse from arming and possibly functioning before the bomb is dropped. For this purpose it is easy to provide a wire which engages the portion of the fuse and holds the same against movement to arm the fuse until the bomb is dropped. In order that this wire may be released when the bomb is dropped it is customary to provide a loop in the wire which engages a hook on the rack and being held thereby when the bomb is dropped withdraws the wire from the bomb.

There are times when it becomes necessary to release a bomb without destructive intent, for instance, merely for the purpose of relieving the aircraft of the weight of the bomb and, when a bomb is so released it is desired that the safety wire be not held and withdrawn from the bomb. To insure this it is essential that the frictional contact between the wire and bomb parts be sufficient to cause the loop to strip from the hook when the hook is released.

The present invention was devised for this purpose, and the desired result is accom plished, specifically, by placing a wire gripping element on the end of the safety wire which element may be stripped therefrom only upon the application of a predetermined force.

With these and other objects in view, which will hereinafter more fully appear, the invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a frag ment of a bomb equipped with a safety wire in accordance with our invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view in side elevation of a bomb fuse mechanism and safety wire attached thereto;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed view in side elevation, partly in section of a pre ferred form of wire gripping element.

Referring to the drawing by numerals of reference A bomb is indicated by the numeral 10, provided with suspending lugs 11 through which the bomb is suspended from the rack and which also act as guides for a safety wire 12 having a loop 13, adapted to be engaged by the hook, not shown, of the bomb rack.

The bomb is provided with a fuse having a casing 14 in which is formed an aperture or eye adapted to aline with an aperture or eye in the hub of a wind wheel 15 through. which eyes the end of the wire 12 passes.

Upon the protruding free end of the wire 12 we prefer to attach a wire gripping or friction element 16 which may be ofany desired form, the only requirement being that it requires a predetermined force to strip the element from the wire so that the bomb may be dropped without with drawing the wire and that the wire may not become accidentally detached, as by force of the wind.

The specific element herein shown consists of a body portion of resilient material bent upon itself and the end of the bent portion bent to form a hook 17 provided with a slot 18 through which extends a second hook 19 conveniently secured to the main portion of the element 16 and bent in a oi reetion opposite to the hook 17 so that the two books form an eye through which the wire 12 may be passed and in which it is gripped because of the resiliency of the material of which the element 16 is constructed.

e claim:

1. The combination with a drop bomb, a fuse carried by the drop bomb, and a fuse arming member provided with an aperture, of a safety Wire projecting through the aper' ture and a wire gripping element on the protruding end of the Wire adapted to be stripped from the wire upon the application of a force tending to Withdraw the Wire.

2. The combination with a drop bomb,

a fuse carried by the drop bomb and a fuse ermine" member provided with an aperture, of a surety wire projecting through the aperture and a friction member engaging with the protruding end of the Wire to be stripped therefrom upon the application of a predetermined force tending to Withdraw the Wire.

3. A safety Wire for drop bombs, said wire having a friction element attached thereto and adapted to be stripped therefrom upon tne application of a predetern'iined force tending to Withdraw the Wire.

WILLIAM A. BURDEN.

LAUDIUS H. M. ROBERTS 

